Cruise Activities for Kids

With their pools, water slide

s, deck games, contests and nightly entertainment – not to mention great food available 24 hours a day – a cruise ship is a wonderland for kids. Still, young passengers need a place to meet others their own age, who share their interests and general desire to have fun designed just for them.That’s why many cruise lines have special clubs for kids, staffed by crew members who have experience working with children. These clubs are designed to give kids opportunities to have fun with other kids, enjoy the features of the ship, and even learn something new. As a side benefit, kids clubs give parents some time to relax and enjoy the ship on their own.

Royal Caribbean’s kids club encourages the youngest kids to take on the role of cruise ship scientist. In its Royal Babies and Tots Nursery, ages six to 36 months, the littlest guests are cared for by trained professionals. Aquanauts, age three to five, explore the secrets of bubbling potions and dinosaurs; Explorers, age five to eight, dig into space mud and meteorology; Voyagers, age nine to 11, get active with scavenger hunts, sports tournaments, video game challenges and more.

Camp Carnival also organizes kids into three age groups: two to five, six to eight and nine to 11. There are lots of activities and games for each age group during the day, and even into the night. Camp Carnival Night Owls provides kid-friendly dinner menus and supervised fun so parents can enjoy the ship’s restaurants and entertainment well into the evening.

Norwegian Cruise Lines’ new Splash Academy welcomes Guppies (age six months to two years – a parent must come along), Turtles (age three to five), Seals (age six to nine) and Dolphins (age 10 to 12). They can gather in the Kids’ Center, which has video games and a surround sound cinema; have fun with arts and crafts; or learn to be a circus performer with "Cirque du Jour.”

Princess Ships have Youth Centers where kids can join the Princess Pelicans (age three to seven) or the Shockwaves (age eight to 12). Activities for the Pelicans include dance parties (no adults allowed), watching movies and cartoons, art projects and pizza parties. The Shockwaves get to have dinner together (again, adults must not intrude), try their talent at Karaoke, and explore the ship’s galleys in the Jr.CHEF@Sea program.

For more information about the kids clubs on various cruise lines, talk with your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert.